Zach Cregger’s ‘Resident Evil’ Closes Opening Weekend With $60 Million: Franchise Record

“Resident Evil” has written the history of its 24-year franchise: Zach Cregger’s horror reboot, from the director of “Weapons,” grossed $60 million in its opening weekend in the United States, becoming the biggest debut in the saga’s history. The previous record was held by 2010’s “Resident Evil: Afterlife,” with $26.3 million at opening — a figure now more than doubled.

The success is even more impressive compared to the week’s forecasts: analysts expected an opening of only $40–45 million, at the level of “Weapons.” But audiences flocked to theaters at the last minute — most tickets were bought as walk-ups, with no advance booking — a strong sign of the positive word of mouth circulating around the film.

With a $75 million budget, split between TriStar Pictures, Constantin Films, and Davis Films, analysts believe the film could surpass the $300 million global total of “Resident Evil: Afterlife” and become a solid source of profit for Sony.

In the American box office for the weekend (September 18–20), second place went to “Practical Magic 2” with $12.2 million (down 59%, with a total of $50 million in the US and $76.8 million worldwide, against a $75 million budget); third was “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with $6.5 million ($944 million in the US after eight weeks — the all-time domestic record holder); while fourth, “The Odyssey,” with $4.9 million ($609 million in the US and $1.72 billion worldwide).

Source: TheWrap